by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Pacers forward Paul George was fined $25,000 for his sharp criticism of officiating after Monday's Game 4 Eastern Conference finals loss to the Miami Heat, the NBA announced Tuesday evening.

George said the 102-90 loss was the result of the Heat shooting twice as many (34-17) free throws as the Pacers. He reiterated the point several times in his postgame interview, having made subtler remarks after a Game 3 loss.

"Maybe this was just home cooking," George said. That comment likely set off the fine from Rod Thorn, the NBA's president of basketball operations.

George, who scored a team-high 23 points Monday, said the box score showed that the Pacers would have won had they drawn more free throw attempts. "They won this game at the free throw line," the All-Star said.

But the Heat disagreed. Forward LeBron James pointed to turnovers as the source of the victory, which put Miami up 3-1.